Although Mozart was a skilled organist, violinist, violist, and virtuoso pianist, he did not professionally play any wind instruments. Yet, ironically, as an orchestrator, his greatest contribution to the history of music was demonstrating how, almost magically, the winds might be introduced into the mostly string backdrop of the Classical orchestra. In this animation of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in g minor, K550, 1st movement, the strings are colored various shades of green. The clarinet is yellow, the two flutes orange, the two oboes pink, the two bassoons a brighter shade of pink, and the two French horns blue. As you listen, pay attention not only to the white melody indicator but also to all the above-named colors that show the winds.
How does this help you understand how Mozart added richness and beauty by interweaving these wind “threads” into his mostly string fabric?
With regard to form, thinking critically about the following question: How does musical structure and form reflect the Age of Enlightenment/Age of Reason?
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